Lelant Primitive Methodists’ first chapel was acquired from the Wesleyan Methodists who were moving to grander premises, opening on 14th December 1834. The 1851 religious census reported that there was no service in the morning, afternoon attendance of twenty and evening attendance of one hundred and forty, with no Sunday scholars at any service.
A new Lelant Primitive Methodist chapel in the St Ives circuit was opened on 15th December 1859. The chapel which measured 48′ x 25′ cost £210 of which they had raised £100 by the opening. Donors included Hall and Sons, Mrs Harris, Mrs Beckerlegge and Mrs R Hampton.
The foundation stone was laid six months earlier on May 31st 1859 by Capt Peter Bryant (St Ives). Speakers at the stone laying ceremony and the tea in the Wesleyan chapel that followed included Rev W Vercoe, J Beckylegge and J Whitford.
Preachers at the opening events included Rev Vercoe (Wesleyan), Rev J Best (Redruth) and Rev E Watson. 200 people attended a tea meeting where speakers included R Hampton, Revs.E. Powell and A. F. Beckerlegge, Messrs. W. H. Penhaligon, C.Kessell, T. Pascoe, and J. Eddy.
Almond Heckings and co were the architects and builders.
In 1888 the Primitive Methodist chapel had six members. It closed in 1909 and became the village hall. On Street View it carries the inscription “Lelant Village Hall 1924”. Val Thomas tells us that the building now has a lobby on the front of it with only the top part of the arched windows showing.
Jo Lewis adds detail to the story:
The earliest written reference to a possible Methodist ‘chapel’ in Lelant is in 1766. John Wesley records in his Journal that on 10 September “the rain drove us into the house.” This might have been a meeting house, or a Lelant Methodist’s home used for worship. The earliest record of a Methodist religious society, an organised group of worshippers, at Lelant is 1767. There is a deed of 17 May 1791 for a “Lelant Preaching House” [Appleby 1984]. This is about an expired lease on land on which, the deed says, had been “lately created…a Methodist Preaching House.” The house was built on land known as “Peters.” This is likely to have been the site of the Fore Street Chapel (The 1820/38 map of the village marks this site).
Exactly when Primitive Methodism was established at Lelant is unknown but in 1833 they propagandised in Lelant and in 1834 they bought the chapel in Fore Street from the Wesleyan Methodists who were moving to Trendreath. It is recorded that Primitive Methodists opened their ex-Wesleyan chapel on 14 December 1834. The 1851 religious census reported that there was no service in the morning, afternoon attendance of twenty and evening attendance of one hundred and forty, with no Sunday scholars at any service.
By 1859 the chapel building was run down. It was demolished and on 31 May a new foundation stone was laid. More about the story on this website: http://lelant.info/methodism.htm
References
Lelant info website: http://lelant.info/methodism.htm accessed January 8th 2017
Primitive Methodist magazine August 1859 pages 502-503
Primitive Methodist magazine March 1860 page 172
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